St. Petersburg was founded in 1703.
It was the capital city of the Russian Empire
for over 200 years,
from 1712 to 1918.
The city witnessed the bolshevik revolt in 1917.
During World War II it was besieged for 900 days
and lost over 2, 000 000 of its inhabitants.
Today it is one of the biggest cultural centers in Russia.
The Palace Square and the Winter Palace, the former residence of the royal family
The private rooms of the royal family were located in this part of the palace
The Peter and Paul Cathedral on the grounds of the Peter and Paul Fortress
The Church "On the Spilled Blood" marks the place where Alexander II, the great grandfather of Alexis and Anastasia, was assassinated.
The classical Saint Isaac's Cathedral is more typical
of the St. Petersburg style
During the Soviet time,
the Kazan Cathedral housed a museum of atheism. Now it is the main cathedral of the city
The Saint Trinity Cathedral
...............
The St. Michael's Castle belonged to
Paul I who held the office of the Grand Master of the Malteze Order
in the 1790-s
The Nevsky Prospect and the Kazan Cathedral
This city is called...
Its famous beautiful
white nights...
The fountains of Peterhof compete with those in Versailles;
..........
......... .... The angel on top of the column is one of the Guardian Angels of the city
The emperor's study and the empress' living room
as they looked...
The Cathedral served as a burial place for the Russian emperors and their families
The church is richly decorated with mosaics both within and without. It resembles the Saint Basil Cathedral in Moscow
The Risen Christ: a high relief on the northern fronton
of the cathedral
The inhabitants of the besieged bombarded city took refuge in the Saint Prince Vladimir Church
The cupolas of the St. Nicolas of the Navy in the summer...
A genuine sphinx from the ancient Thebes in Egypt keeps the secrets
of the Divine Wisdom...
.........
The St. Basil Island
in the delta of the Neva
...the Venice of the North...
...and numerous
fine art museums...
the palace in Pavlovsk remembers the footsteps of the Malteze Knights;
The double headed eagle on the palace gate is the emblem of the Romanov dynasty
...before the Winter Palace was turned into a fine art museum
The remains of Nicolas II and his family were buried here
in 1999
because it is built in imitation of the ancient Russian style: the architectural trend called historicism was very popular in the early 20th century
St. Mark with the lion is one of the four sculptures
of the evangelists
The Smolny Monastery. Its main church (in the center)
is still used as a concert hall
......
...and its bell tower
in the winter
...and the angels
of the Chesma Church
hold the focus
of the All-Seeing Eye of God
.................
The Palace Bridge and
the Winter Palace at night
...and the city of rain
...attract tourists from all over the world
and the town of Tsarskoye Selo keeps the memory of the royal family
